The Edmonton Oilers continue to work with Connor Murphy on a new agreement, Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports.
Having forked over a long-term deal to center Jason Dickinson which has him signed in Edmonton to age 35, general manager Stan Bowman showed willingness to do whatever it takes to keep his mid-season acquisitions and not lose them for nothing. Time will tell if that’s the same with Murphy, 33, another former Blackhawk who will have plenty of suitors if he makes it to July 1 as a steady 6’4” righty on the back-end.
According to Spector, the new coach hire, possibly the controversial Mike Babcock, is not a primary factor for Murphy in his decision. Facing the opportunity to hit the market for the first time in his 13-year career, the Boston native is surely weighting his options, as he was a solid fit with the Oilers but falling short in the first round is a far cry from previous seasons where Edmonton was on the cusp of a Stanley Cup.
AFP Analytics projects that Murphy is worth a two-year pact worth around $3.6MM per season. Even from the Oilers’ perspective, the veteran has lost a step and at least considering other options would be wise, however, if Bowman’s five-year contract to Dickinson is any indication, he’s intent on maintaining the same vision.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Pierre Lebrun of The Athletic looked into the NHL head coaches with expiring deals on his June 19 edition of NHL Rumblings. Anaheim’s Joel Quenneville, Colorado’s Jared Bednar, Columbus’ Rick Bowness, Minnesota’s John Hynes, Martin St. Louis of Montreal, Andrew Brunette of Nashville, along with Ryan Warsofsky of San Jose, Utah’s Andre Tourigny, and finally, Winnipeg’s Scott Arniel made up the list. The Mammoth have already expectedly extended their bench boss in Tourigny, but in terms of the others, it’s a wide mix of what could come next. Both Bednar and Hynes have tremendous teams in win-now mode, but both coaches have something to prove in 2026-27 after disappointing playoff exits. Brunette and Arniel had success in the past, not quite on the hot seat just yet, but certainly facing the least security as of today. Finally, Bowness is in a unique position, taking on a one-year deal where he’ll look to spark the Columbus group, at age 71 more of a short-term culture changer.
- Lebrun also went on to discuss how former Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh ended up in Toronto on an eight-year contract worth $8.5MM per season. The insider reported that Tampa Bay general manager Julien BriseBois was wary of making a major commitment to the late-bloomer and the two sides were never close in either length or value. It’s not hard to see why, considering that the undrafted 30-year-old was in the AHL just three seasons ago for the Syracuse Crunch. Breaking out in 2023-24 as an 82-gamer with 33 points, Raddysh exploded at an opportune time this season, posting 70 points in 73 games. As a result, he’ll have the chance to lead his hometown Maple Leafs and prove his worth. Losing the gem they found for just a 5th rounder isn’t ideal, but it allows the Lighting to pursue defensemen such as John Carlson, who BriseBois would deem a safer bet, free agents the likes of which the Bolts haven’t had the cap room to even be a contender for in previous years.
